Costco Napa readies for opening; gas station opens Thursday (2024)

Napa’s Costco won’t open for another week, but on the inside, it looks like the store could start sales at any minute.

Most shelves and aisles are fully stocked with all the things you expect to find at Costco — giant packs of toilet paper, TV monitors, snacks and canned foods, clothes, kitchen gadgets — even a display of brightly lit Christmas trees was seen during a visit on Wednesday morning. Only the perishables have yet to arrive.

On Wednesday morning, many dozens of staffers and vendors crisscrossed the warehouse floor, some carrying walkie-talkies, others on cellphones. A large group of new employees gathered for a team meeting sitting on chairs in front of the check-out lanes. The tire department smelled of fresh rubber, and the café looked ready to start dishing out Costco's famed $1.50 hot dogs.

The gray concrete floors are polished and shiny. Towering aisles of shelves, with orange accents, look brand-new.

Scanners to read membership cards are positioned on the left and right of the gray metal roll-top door entrance. Brand-new shopping carts are lined up in parking lot corrals.

The Costco gas station is expected to open at 10 a.m. Thursday, according to general manager Tim Stone.

How does it feel to be barely a week from opening the store itself?

“Amazing,” said Stone. “I know the city of Napa has been waiting a long time for Costco, so we obviously want to make sure we take care of our members and our community.”

Stone said he has worked for Costco for 20 years. He started in an entry-level position and worked his way up in the company, eventually becoming assistant general manager at the Costco in Lodi. The Napa Costco is his first turn as a store manager. He'scommitted to the job; Stone has already moved to Napa, and his family plans to join him.

Stone said that opening day will be very busy — something like “controlled chaos.”

“It's exciting,” he said. “It's going to be a big day for everybody — for Costco, for the city of Napa. We're just looking forward to meeting everyone's expectations.”

Stone said he wouldn’t be surprised if some diehard Costco fans arrive as early as 24 to 48 hours before the store opens, lining up to be the first inside. Some may even camp in the parking lot.

Stone noted that there will be some special items available at the Napa Costco, products that aren’t normally found at other Costco stores. Those include special whiskey or spirits, wine, and high-end handbags and clothing.

“The wine selection is going to be supreme,” said Stone. The Napa Costco will have about 174 SKUs (stock-keeping units, or product numbers) of fine wine. That's more than double what I had in Lodi.”

“Yes, the first couple days are going to be busy in here. But I think things will taper off as they normally do. And I think in the weeks after, it will be more realistic to see what our business is really going to be like.”

According to Stone, there are about 40,000 Costco members in Napa County.

The Napa store has about 400 employees, 100 of whom came from other Costco branches. About 300 are brand-new staffers, the general manager said.

Pay starts at $19.50 an hour for an entry-level position. Cashiers make over $20 an hour, Stone said.

Stone, who has been working 10- to 15-hour days to open the store, said he’s grateful to everyone who has helped along the way.

“Without their hard work, this would not have come to fruition,” he said.

The Napa Costco will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 a.m. The store, located at 280 Riversound Way, will then open at 8 a.m.

Stone confirmed Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal and his son David Sinegal will attend the grand opening. Members of that family founded Sinegal Estate winery in St. Helena.